Staff Reporter
AT LEAST 70 of the people who lost their homes in the devastating fire on Friday night, 4 October 2024, in Walvis Bay’s Otweya location are non-Namibians.
This was revealed by the Municipality of Walvis Bay, which explained that the fire, which destroyed about 80 shacks and claimed one life, broke out on an erf belonging to the National Housing Enterprise that the victims had illegally occupied.
The Municipality announced that it will engage with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security on how to address the situation of the foreign nationals. For now, the municipality has provided two large tents as temporary shelter for the affected families. However, the municipality revealed that these tents will only be available until Friday, 11 October 2024, after which the families will need to make alternative arrangements.
“The affected families were provided with mattresses, blankets, and other necessary items, which were generously donated by The Round Table, as well as a soup kitchen service provided by Twaloloka Aid Support and Kindness (TASK),” the Municipality of Walvis Bay added.
The municipality also emphasised that it remains against the illegal occupation of land, highlighting this as the cause of such devastating fire incidents.
“Furthermore, our team was able to establish that most of the shacks are owned by people who have homes in Walvis Bay or outside the town and merely erect these structures for the purpose of leasing them at exorbitant rates,” the municipality revealed.
